In These Small Hours
by alyosha's madness
Summary: This is a series of one shots about the inhabitants of Gravity Falls and all the things that may or may not happen to them over the course of their stay in Gravity Falls.
1. Serendipity

Hey, what's up guys? This is just a little project of mine to help me get back in the swing of things and let me experiment with different themes and styles, also everyone else seems to be doing it which is reason enough for anything (lol). Feel free to comment or suggest a story of your own and we'll see about getting it up here.

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The sun dipped behind grey clouds turning a once bright day into something dark and gloomy. Dipper had been out all day exploring the mysteries of the Gravity Falls woods trying to find the elusive tribe of clown pygmies or another artifact of unspeakable properties. Alas, all his searching was for not and he wore defeat on every grass stain and wrinkle in his brow. His mood as dismal as the sky above Dipper returned the Mystery Shack sulking all the way. When things seemed their lowest and the day wasted something glinted at him from behind the emerald waves of freshly cut grass. With the faintest hope that all was not lost he ran across the lawn and scooped up the object in question, a gold coin bearing strange symbols carved into each side of it. The symbols were carved in a seemingly haphazard manner, probably some schizo's idea of what an ancient language should look like. Quickly flipping to the ancient artifacts section of his journal, Dipper found a depiction of the coin and accompanying description on the opposing tattered page:

_The coin of windfall. These gold coins are sought after by Gravity Falls' famed leprechauns not necessarily for the good fortune they may bring but for the exceptionally shiny surface they possess. This coin has been known to bring luck of either….activated by flipping the coin, but be…oin…._

The rest of the passage was too illegible to read but Dipper got the jist of it; the coin's lucky attributes were activated by flipping it and really, he did have to stop and admire how shiny the coin actually was. In fact, it almost seemed to glow in his hand. Elated that his search was not a fruitless endeavor and too giddy to give the missing text a second thought he raced back to the Mystery Shack to discover the secrets of the coin.

Wendy had been staring off into space, far too depressed to even look customers in the eye since her break up with Robbie and it was no surprise that Dipper found her in exactly the same position upon entering the shack. Truth be told Dipper hadn't spoken to her since that night, not for lack of trying though. She would always ignore him and avoid any attempt at conversation. Her silent rage an implicit blame for the part Dipper had played in the break up and his subsequent thoughtlessness thereafter. It would take a miracle for her to ever talk to him again and Dipper was sure that he held just such a miracle in the palm of his hand. Giving the coin a quick flip and noticing that it landed heads up Dipper tried his luck.

"Hey there Wendy, bad Weather we're having today, eh?" he said in as casual a voice as he could muster.

At first it looked as he would be rebuked once again then the storm broke and Wendy seemed to cheer up considerably almost as if a sudden realization dawned on her. They talked, laughed, and joked for the rest of her shift and when it came time to quit, she thanked him for listening and gave him a quick, furtive kiss before practically skipping out the door leaving Dipper awestruck rubbing the spot where her lips had blessed his skin. _It worked, the coin really did work!_ There was no other explanation in his mind.

Wanting to test its powers some more Dipper gave the coin another toss. Heads again. From out of the den came words Dipper never thought he would hear from his Gruncle Stan in a million years

"Hey kids! I'm all out of terrible food and I feel generous for some reason. Let's go out to eat tonight. Ow, ah man this generosity thing kind of hurts, like a… like a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach or something."

Wendy's forgiveness, Stan's generosity; this coin was going to change his life for the better, he just knew it.

**~000~**

With full bellies and hours of mindless TV logged it was time for the twins' nightly ritual of racing to get to the bathroom first or rather it was Mabel's nightly ritual of exercising her physical superiority over her twin and beating him to the bathroom every night. However, this time was going to be different for Dipper, the coin of windfall was going to see to that. Heck, he might even deign to win a toothbrush race tonight if he felt like it. With the coin in his hands there was nothing he couldn't do. Before Mabel could even announce that the games had begun Dipper gave his newfound source of luck a quick flip. Tails this time. Mabel announced the start of their race and both twins took off with a bust of speed. For a while it looked like Dipper might actually win but his foot caught on a rusted nail and he face planted right into the stairs. Mabel rushed past her fallen brother and slammed the bathroom door shut shouting a triumphant "Woo hoo, Mabel for the win again!" as she could now spend the next hour getting prepped for bed undisturbed. Shaking off the oncoming concussion Dipper looked down at the erstwhile lucky coin. _Huh, maybe it has a limited number of uses per day, better test this _he thought before shrugging it off and sitting himself back in front of the TV defeated once again.

**~000~**

Dipper awoke with a start. For him the morning couldn't have come sooner and he had wasted away half the night tossing and turning impatiently awaiting the new day that would allow him to test his theory about the coin. Maybe it did have its limitations; maybe it worked like a genie with the individual only getting a limited number of uses before their turn was over. He silently prayed this was not the case. Greeting the day with more anxiety than usual he retrieved the coin from under his mattress, a place he had sequestered the coin to avoid the prying eyes of anyone wishing to take it, imaginary or otherwise. In reality no one knew of the coin's existence save for him and possibly a few leprechauns but that didn't stop his mind from turning shadows into creeping assassins and government agents. Double checking to ensure Mable was still sound asleep across the room. Dipper flicked the coin into the air. Heads. A minute went by with no results,

then another

and another;

oh God he really had used up all of his luck!

Dipper placed his head in his hands "How could I been so careless? I should have done more research on the coin before using it. I could have done so much more with it."

A cheerful oink wrested him from the depths of his despair. Uncovering his face and letting out an exasperated sigh he didn't even know he had been holding in, he stared forlornly into the squishy pink face of his sister's pet pig. However, there was something different about Waddles today. Dipper was pretty certain the pig had never worn a monocle before, unless… "Hey! Get away from my book and give me that back!" As Dipper reached for the monocle he had been using as a place holder for the #3 journal the pig screeched and bolted in the opposite direction. Instinct drove Waddles forward as he blindly collided with the bookcase before racing out the door. The bookcase tilted back and forth precariously and just when it seemed like it would stay erect the whole mess toppled over causing Dipper to jump slightly as the impact was sure to have awoken the dead. Amazingly, Mabel managed to sleep right through the falling bookcase and subsequent crash. Honestly, his sister was the only person Dipper knew who could sleep through something like that, but maybe that was for the best. Something green spilled out from behind the bookcase and flooded the air above the twins before raining down upon them. It was green, paper like, and plentiful. It was… it was… money? Dipper reached out his hands and grabbed as much as he could. Tens, twenties, hundreds, whatever he could grab it didn't matter, he was rich now. Suddenly his eyes widened as his thoughts returned to the coin once again. A smile crept across his face, his luck was back.

Leaving his sister to sleep in her bed of green Dipper quickly made his way down stairs. Gruncle Stan was sitting in his usual place at the kitchen table sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. Too excited to give his new found opulence another go Dipper had to suppress a giggle as he flipped the coin behind his back. Tails.

Clearing his throat he began "Uh hey Stan I don't really feel like working today, would you mind giving me the day off? You'd be my new favorite gruncle if you did."

Stan looked up from his paper; grumpy etched into his features "You know what kid, no. In fact you have been slacking off so much lately that I'm giving you the late night shift. ALONE (the emphasis on the word made it so much worse). Now go put on your wolf boy costume, I've got tourists coming in an hour."

Confusion quickly overwhelmed Dipper as he left the room. The coin brought luck both good and bad seemingly at random but what was the secret behind it? What unlocked the good luck? What triggered the bad? So many questions raced through his mind that when a sudden realization came over him it was truly a moment of clarity. Testing his theory out Dipper gave the coin one more flip. Heads.

"Hey kid! Forget what I said earlier about working late tonight. Take the day off. Oh, and you can shred the wolf boy costume."

Gruncle Stan's voice drifted in from the kitchen carrying with it mixed blessings. On one hand Dipper finally knew how the coin worked: flipping the coin activated its power and the coin landing on heads brought good luck whereas tails caused bad luck. The only problem was that there was no way to ensure it would always bring good luck. _Hm, the coin could really help me out but it could also ruin me. Maybe I just shouldn't use it or maybe I could tape a weight to one side so that it always comes up heads? That's not really cheating that much is it?_ While Dipper pondered this he had been absentmindedly twirling the coin in his hands. So lost in though was he that he didn't even feel the coin drop away from his hands or hear it hit the floor. Tails.

It began with a low rumble, something small and noticeable only to the animals with the keenest of senses but then it increased in intensity, slowly first and then at some exponential rate till the planet felt like it might shake apart. An earthquake triggered by a clandestine fault line directly below the mystery shack, very bad luck. The whole house heaved and groaned before the floor completely caved in threatening to shallow Dipper and everything else in the shack with it. Reacting purely on instinct he quickly grabbed for the nearest support as the floor gave out underneath him which was a bookcase that had fallen over and shattered the aquarium. He cursed to himself as he felt remnants of the aquarium force their way into his hand. The pain was unbearable but the alternative of letting go for a moments reprieve was unthinkable. As the contents of the house shifted screams could be heard from both Stan and Mable (presumably they too were clinging on to some fallen piece of furniture for dear life) Dipper saw the coin slid from its place on the floor over the ledge and into the pit. Once again on pure instinct Dipper caught the coin in mid drop before he even thought to act. Hanging by one hand to a bookcase over a chasm of unfathomable depth while the house shook violently around him Dipper gave the coin one last flip. _Hey, if it got me into this mess maybe it can get me out. It not like I have anything left to lose._ He thought as the coin spun upwards before reaching its apex and gravity took hold. His eyes followed the coin's decent with baited breath. Beads of sweat cascaded down his brow as his lips worked a silent prayer and somewhere in the back of his mind he was vaguely aware of the throbbing ache in the arm holding him up as the coin finally completed its decent somewhere just out of sight.

Dipper was about to pull himself up and check which side the coin landed on when the rest of the floor gave way and the bookcase slid into the pit with Dipper riding it all the way down. At least there was no need to check on the coin, it was definitely tails. Suddenly a blast of hot air caught Dipper in his decent and sent him flying towards the surface along the way it caught Stan and Mable who apparently had not fared any better than him. The trio landed just outside of the shack as the tourist trap gave one final groan before being swallowed by the quaking earth giving new vision to the word cataclysm. _Huh, physics be damned, blind stupid luck really does trump all_ Dipper thought brushing himself off as he stood up. The devastation surrounding them was unimaginable. Trees had been uprooted and lay broken and mangled; the ground was shattered by cracks and fissures, some of which looked as if they may go on for eternity. The humble shack may have been lost in the great quake but at least its inhabitants were still alive. Dipper couldn't imagine so much could come from a single flip of a coin. So transfixed was he that he didn't notice his sister pick up a glittering gold coin that had survived the wreckage. It had been a strange day for her. First she woke up in a bed filled with money, not just the bed but the whole room had taken on an emerald tint. Then the house began to shake violently while her brother and uncle screamed for their lives as they fell into a gaping hole and before she could even blink they were all on the front lawn with no idea what the heck just happened. Then she saw it, a lone golden coin amongst the wreckage. It was so luminescent, so beautiful, so…so shiny. Its magnificence called to her, she felt compelled to pick it up and run her figures over its smooth surface. Suddenly a pained squeal that could only be waddles in duress broke her from the coin's hold. Forgetting all else she tossed the coin behind her and ran to rescue her pet. Unbeknownst to anyone the coin landed far away. Tails. The earth began to quake once more and finally gave way. All Dipper had time to think or to say was

"MABLE, LOOK OUT!"


	2. Switched

"Ugh…oh, oh my head. Did it the potion work? Am I inside the Mystery Shack?" Gideon opened his eyes and surveyed the room. _Rotting wood and missing floorboards due to years of neglect by a stingy owner. Check. Novelties and befuddlements strewn about the room. Check. An angelic Mabel with silken almond hair sleeping just across the room. Yep, this was the Mystery Shack… Wait! Why was Mabel sleeping in Stan's room? Unless…Oh no!_

Gideon ran to the nearest mirror he could find and was greeted by the sight of a gangly twelve year old boy with the same silky brown hair and features as the girl sleeping just across the room. This was definitely not the sixty something entrepreneur of the Mystery Shack he had hoped to find looking back at him. Gideon stared into the mirror for what seemed like hours, too transfixed by the sight. He was just so used to the pudgy face with overly poofed, shimmering white hair that greeted him every time he looked into the mirror. To see something so different and know that it was still him was jarring and more than a little unnerving. Something must have gone wrong with the potion, maybe he accidently grabbed the wrong strand of hair, maybe the spell was no good, maybe…maybe he didn't know what. Either way Gideon Gleeful was stuck in the body of Dipper Pines and Dipper in his for the next twenty four hours while Gideon explored the secrets of the Mystery Shack disguised and uninhibited. It was a good thing he had remembered to restrict his own body with a binding spell before drinking the potion or else Dipper may have had some chance to ruin this opportunity.

Stampeding out of the twins' bedroom he ran downstairs to the kitchen, the den, the break room and so on until his newly stolen body could run no more. Gideon doubled over holding his sides as sweat and tears poured down his face.

His original plan had been simple: grab a strand of Stanford's hair and use it in a soul switching potion, drink the potion and switch bodies with Stan thusly gaining his appearance and memories, get the combination to Stan's safe and the deed contained within. The only other major kink in the plan besides switching bodies with the wrong person revealed itself only after the deed was done: he had no idea where to look because Dipper didn't know. He had wanted Stan's body because the potion would have given him a glimpse into his enemy's mind revealing the location of the safe and its combination. Plus it would have been satisfying to ruin Stan's reputation while puppeting his body.

Panic set in as Gideon realized that the last best chance at acquiring the Mystery Shack's secrets was going to slip through his fingers in twenty-three hours because he had grabbed the wrong ingredients for the potion.

A sleepy "oink" broke Gideon from panic attack as he turned to face Mable's pet pig Waddles. "Get out of my way you filthy quadruped" Gideon hissed at the creature causing Waddles to let out a terrified sequel before bolting from the room. Turning back to the task at hand Gideon began to contemplate where Stan may have hidden his... "OINK!" The sudden screech from that infernal beast startled Gideon causing him to hyperventilate before regaining his composure. Ready to unleash his full fury on the pig and ensure it never bothered him again he spun on his heels fist raised in the air poised to rain down blow after blow when he was startled and knocked off balance for the second time that day. Instead of the plump pink face and round snout that Gideon was expecting he was greeted by his love, Mable, crouched low to the ground. _What the hel… oh right she thinks I'm Dipper._ The weirdness of the moment certainly caught Gideon off guard but he decided to play along as best he could.

"Uh, oink oink to you to my little marshmallow." Mabel cocked her head to the side, she knew something was amiss; Dipper rarely had a southern drawl and NEVER called her "marshmallow".

"Heheh, that's… that's funny there bro bro you almost sounded like that freak Gideon for a moment." (Stammering in her words for fear that it might be so).

True, her words bit into him but Gideon was after the ultimate prize and would have to push wounded love aside for the time being. "Oh my that Gideon fellow, listen Mabel my sweet…. *cough* ahem. Um what I mean to say is… look Mabel I think Stanford may have hidden something in this shack, something he keeps locked away in a safe and I need to know if you have seen anything quite like that."

Mabel's head stayed cocked as she tried to process what was going on. Dipper was definitely off today or at least more so than usual but she couldn't put her figure on what exactly was off about him. Still, Dipper had never steered the twins wrong in the past and he was her brother, no matter how strangely he might be acting.

"Nope, never seen anything like that in the Shack Dip but maybe Waddles can help us out. He's a super sleuthy crime fighting pig. If anyone can find Stan's mystery treasure it's him."

Gideon/Dipper glowered internally, he had just sent the pig screaming into the depths of the Mystery Shack and now he was going to have to find the damned animal. Today was not going according to plan at all. Still Gideon had to agree that the pig probably would have an incredible sense of smell and it did have uncanny knack for popping up where it was least wanted. Maybe it could be useful in his search.

The twins split up, Gideon taking the left half of the shack while Mabel searched the right side. They were to "interrogate" any witnesses, find clues as to the whereabouts of Waddles, and retrieve Dipper/Gideon's safe. All of it was Mabel's whimsical idea of another game she could play with her brother never suspecting the dire consequences of her actions.

Gideon wasn't famous for his patience especially in matters concerning things he really wanted; he would see something he had to have and people would give it to him, end of story. Of course you'd never hear Gideon describing himself as spoiled, but others certainly would and not finding the safe was causing his temper to boil.

Slouching on what may have been the world's dustiest box he began muttering curses on all those who had vexed him today or at least all those who had vexed him thus far "Stupid pig, stupid potion, stupid Stan…." An oblong shadow suddenly towered over him.

"Hey dude, Dipper, you're not going to believe what I found in my cheerios this morning it was like some paranormal message thing-a-majig that was like oooooooooo."

A minor hiccup in his plans Gideon could handle, chasing a pig through his sworn enemy's house in the vain hope that it might lead him to the object he sought was manageable enough, but some unworthy, flummoxing oaf actually talking to him was really pushing it. Soos the lovable Mystery Shack handyman had just unknowingly stepped on a landmine of pure prepubescent rage.

"Listen here you fat buffoon if I wanted to put up with more idiots like you I'd just spend the day with my parents listening to them blither on now wouldn't I?! Frankly I'd rather get kicked in the chest every day for the rest of my life than have to sit here and listen to another second of your filth you… you…you fat you" (apparently Gideon was so lost in his rage that his vocabulary began to break down and fail him).

The level of hurt that registered of the man-child's face would be enough to melt most hearts but not Gideon's. "Fine dude, I never liked hanging out with you anyways!" As Soos ran face in hands sobbing from the room an ugly smile spread across Gideon's lips that, in Dipper's body, looked completely wrong. Finding the safe and getting the combination by day's end may be a bit of a stretch but he could still ruin Dipper's reputation.

*Sigh* Wendy's eyes drooped slightly as she lazily turned the page of the latest Teen Magazine. The Mystery Shack had been relatively quiet throughout most of the day with very little tourist traffic to speak of. Hell, one would almost expect a tumble weed or two to blow through the empty exhibits. A sudden wailing like that of a beached whale that could only have come from Soos shattered Wendy's cocoon of silence. A door open and slammed somewhere in the Shack as Soos had undoubtedly just left. Whatever had caused him to run out of the Mystery Shack in tears must have been really bad.

Not long after, Dipper appeared in the doorway of the gift shop looking more frantic and disheveled than usual, something was definitely wrong, he looked… unhinged. Just as quickly as he had entered, Dipper turned to the nearest rack of postcards and flung them over. Without even batting an eye at the explosion of postcards now flooding the air Dipper turned to the next stand and the next, flipping over racks of meaningless paraphernalia, kicking ancient artifacts, and decimating shelves full of useless crap.

Wendy watched the spectacle unfold as a silent observer, part of her knew that stopping Dipper from his rampage was probably the right thing to do but another part of her secretly wanted to join in the destruction; her day really had been that dull. For the moment it was just a fun show to watch, that is until Dipper broke something expensive, expensive enough to come out of her paycheck.

"Whoa there little guy, I guess Mable isn't the only one who should be kept away from the smile dip." Wendy gently placed her hand on Dipper's shoulder to let him know that whatever the problem, enough was enough but Dipper didn't turn to face her like she expected instead he stood there, rooted to the spot and shacking with unbridled rage. She could barely make out what he was mumbling to himself

"Where is it Stanford? Where did you put it? It has to be here, he wouldn't have hidden it anywhere else! The shack is the only place he has left."

Wendy was about to try again when Dipper's head snapped around and their eyes locked; she definitely had his attention now. "Get your hand off of me you two bit harlot! You and that redneck family of yours aren't fit to even lick the dirt off my shoe!" Dipper/Gideon roared at the completely stunned Wendy. "Get out of my sight, go on now get! Get before I tell my Uncle to fire your lazy ass, mouth-breathing trollop!"

Too shocked to even respond to the unexpected barrage of hate and insults that flew from her former friend's mouth (and a little confused by Dipper's suddenly verbose vocabulary) Wendy got up and left the shack, slamming the door as she went. _Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? If Stan's just going to let his Grandnephew treat me like that then forget this job and he can forget my two weeks notice too, I'm done with this hellhole! _she thought as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Hours later, Gideon fell into the waiting cushions of the couch in the den. Too burned out to even work up enough energy for another rant, he let the softness of the couch envelop him. By now ten hours had passed and only fourteen remained yet there had been no sign of either the object in question or the so called wonder pig that was supposed to lead him straight to his objective. In fact, Gideon had yet to see Mabel since they both split up to search the shack for Gideon's prize and he was beginning to wonder where she had gotten off to, the shack wasn't THAT big or at least he didn't think so.

A great opportunity was passing him by and he could feel it with every second the clock ticked away. This soul switching spell was a one time deal and any subsequent attempts might lead to uncertain outcomes for both parties involved. Even if the spell had not worked quiet as he had expected, Gideon was still in the body of his mortal enemy's grandnephew and he did manage to ruin Dipper in the eyes of his only friends.

Suddenly, the room went dark as hands covered his eyes and a tingle ran down his spine as someone's hot breath crept down his neck. "Hey, guess who I found?" The small feminine whisper that could only belong to Mabel sent jolts of lightning ricocheting throughout his being. "I FOUND WADDLES!" The disparity between Mabel's seductive whisper and frightening yell was so great and unexpected that Gideon could swear he felt his heart simultaneously stop and leap into his throat. For a moment he was sure that he was dying, then until his heart started resumed its usual repetition.

The pig in question gave a squeal that was halfway between fear and what Gideon could only assume was distain but luckily Mabel was able to sooth her pet before it could run off again.

"Well, this is great news Mabel my sweet. Now how do we get this here hog to find my…er..our treasure?" Once again Mabel cocked her head, suspicious of her brother's sudden and unexpected southern drawl he seemed to have acquired for the day but she quickly shrugged it off as just another one of his many developing quarks.

"Haha, your talking funny today Dipper." Gideon just simply blushed as hard as Dipper's body was able.

Without another word Mabel bent low to Waddles and whispered something in his ear. Gideon strained to listen but he couldn't make out anything coherent. After Mabel had finished her little chat she gave Waddles a quick slap on the bottom and told him to "Go on, go find it." Waddles, however, apparently didn't get the message instead opting to stay perfectly still and stare Gideon/Dipper down. Gideon got the distinct impression that the pig was somehow looking into his very soul or at the least knew he wasn't who he was pretending to be.

Sweat began to form on Gideon's forehead as the moment seemed like it would go on forever or at least until he broke down and confessed. Thankfully the awkward moment was ended by more prompting from Mabel who finally got Waddles moving in the right direction.

The pair followed Waddles throughout the Mystery Shack until they arrived at Gruncle Stan's office door. _Figures_ thought Gideon, more than a little disappointed in himself for not checking this place first and foremost.

The pig burst into the room and almost immediately went for the right hand corner of the furthest wall where he began press his snout to the place where the two walls met and squealed furiously. Gideon was on him in seconds and pushed the pig out of the way before he began to feel up the corner himself.

It took only a few seconds of searching and light pressure to push back a small section revealing a hidden compartment. Inside there was a note with several clearly labeled items ranging in importance from things like the vending machine and electronic safe location/codes to bank accounts and social security numbers, there was even an escape plan in case one of Stan's cons went too far.

Gideon couldn't believe what he was staring at, all he had wanted was the combination to Stan's safe and the deed to the Mystery Shack contained within but this was a treasure trove of information his senile arch-nemesis had scrawled across a single, beautiful piece of paper. "Stan must've made this list in case he ever got too old to remember any of it." Whatever the reason, Gideon had the information and time was no longer of the essence.

Now that he had a list of codes and account numbers, he could bankrupt Stanford and break into the Mystery Shack and steal whatever he wanted at his leisure, which is what he would have to do now as he didn't have enough time in this body to get the documents to a safe location.

Quickly chanting a spell under his breath, Gideon transcribed all of the information directly into his mind; now he would remember it for as long as he lived, whether he wanted to or not.

Laughing manically over his victory, Gideon began to dance/skip across the room prompting Mabel to enthusiastically join in.

"Why are we dancing? What did you find? Is it gold or maybe a kitten? *gasp* Is Stan really a space wizard and you like, found his wand thingy or something?"

Mabel had no idea what she just helped Gideon uncover, she had no idea the ruination she had just brought down upon her loved ones. _She's so cute when she's clueless_ Gideon thought to himself dancing beside Mabel as memories of their brief dates flowed through his mind.

Drunk on his moment of victory, Gideon pulled Mabel in close and kissed her deeply for several seconds, for him this was the victory lap that would forever enshrine this moment as the greatest moment of his life.

Pulling away he stared into his loves eyes and found himself briefly bewildered by the expression she wore on her face; a mixture of shock, confusion, revulsion and a hint of lust. Then it hit him, he was still in Dipper's body! He had just kissed his love as her twin brother. It took Mabel a second to realize this as well before the shock wore off and she ran screaming from the room with Waddles close in tail.

Not wanting to stick around for what was sure to come next Gideon recited the magical incantation that released his mind and placed it back in its original body. Back in his old body Gideon recited another incantation that released him from the binds he had conjured while Dipper was occupying it.

Getting back up on his feet Gideon took a moment to admire his own body, it felt good to once again inhabit a form that was more….filled out around the edges.

Examining his hands again for the hundredth time to make sure they were still his Gideon allowed a smile to play across his lips. In one day he had alienated Dipper Pines from the only people who would stand by him, stolen his archenemy's secrets, and kissed the girl of his dreams. All in all it wasn't bad for a day's work.

Meanwhile, Dipper awoke on the cold wooden floor, the day a blur in his mind. He had just had the strangest dream where he was in an unfamiliar room unable to move his body which had grown considerably heftier and had donned an ugly turquoise suit. He couldn't even open his mouth to call for help. It had been a hell of a nightmare. But waking up on the floor of his Grucle's office made him wonder just how much of his dream was actually a dream, that is, until he heard Stan storm into the room.

"YOU LITTLE TROLL! What did you say to Soos and Wendy!? I had to practically pay them to come back to work tomorrow. And what did you do to your sister!? She's been in her room crying for the past hour and she won't let me in."

It took Stan a little while to realize where they were and spot that his cache of secrets had been uncovered

"And just what the hell where you doing in my office kid!? All Dipper could do was stammer and shrink further and further into the nearest corner as all explanations had left him.

* * *

Well I thought this one went a little better than the last, but I am still trying to get out of this writing funk I'm in. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the freaky Friday-esque story. The next one will probably be up in about 2-3 weeks and as always please review or send in suggestions for stories of your own.


	3. Home

*Sigh* swiping a stray amber lock off of his face he took one more look around the room to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. The walls were bare and the room vacant save for a stack of boxes containing all the meager positions he owned. One box remained unpacked and that contained only the barest of essentials: toothbrush, comb, hat with a faded pine tree in the center, etc.

It was strange to see his whole life packed away like this, it honestly minimized the totality of his existence. Still, tomorrow was move out day and he had to leave his apartment by no later than 12:00 P.M. as the building manager had specifically told him.

Letting another sigh pass his lips he sat down and ate what was left of the rapidly cooling pizza on the last paper plate in the apartment.

It was so hard to believe that he had graduated from Brown College as a communications/ancient history major just two weeks ago. It was a far cry from his Californian home but after that summer in Gravity Falls distance was what he needed.

Something about the whole college experience left him feeling as if he missed out on what it was really supposed to be about. Sure he had attended parties and joined a club, taken the classes, and even went out with a girl or two but there was still something missing. The reality of the situation was far more harsh than what you see in movies. The people were bland and nauseating as each one seemed to think they were the most important and constantly tried to outdo one another, the beer was warm and tasted awful (he had no idea what cat piss tasted like but he was sure it tasted like beer), and worst of all were the roommates who were not at all like their Hollywood comic relief sidekick counterparts.

Two weeks ago his apartment had been flooded with adoring relatives and what little friends he was able to make (a social butterfly he was not). It had been a parade of the predictable: his father gave a heartwarming speech, his mother wouldn't let up on the praise and admiration but also left time to pester him about his job search, and Gruncle Stan half-heartedly tried to steal his neighbor's wallet while they were in the hallway. Love, admiration, and old folks getting drunk and recollecting the days of their youth spent in the hell known as college soon abounded.

Everyone was there except for her, the only person he actually cared about seeing. But then again maybe it was for the best she didn't show. He took another bite of his cold pizza when his pocket began to vibrate. Taking out his cell and flipping it open his eyes widened as he read the text message: Hey Dipper got a minute? I wanna talk. She finally wanted to talk.

"Hm, well I can certainly say that your designs are interesting, very creative. I would never have thought to use pink… um, unicorn kittens to decorate one's evening wear, but I am afraid we simply can't use anything you have shown me here today Ms. Pines." Mabel's eyes fell in disappointment; another interview had slipped through her fingers.

"Listen Ms. Pines, it may not be any of my business telling you this but there are certain people who have real panache when it comes to the fashion world. They are able to take some of the most outrageous designs and make them work, but darling I'm afraid this is something you might not have. Maybe you should look into another career path, how does a position as a seamstress strike you?" Were there no machines running full steam or people shouting in the background of the stuffy design studio Mabel was sure she could have heard her heart shatter into a million pieces but for all the internal weeping she put on a brave face and some semblance of a smile.

"That sounds interesting I'll definitely consider it" Though she had done her best to hide her true emotions her cracking voice revealed everything.

After making her long trek home hoping from one subway to the next Mabel stepped into her apartment. The air was somewhat frigid and carried with it the scent of various candles and incense. Pine tree forest, twisted grove, midnight walk; each scent laid out as a reminder of the one single day she had spent in Gravity Falls, that one single mistake she and Dipper had made that seemed to last for so long. Looking back on it years later though she wondered if it really was a mistake at all.

Kicking off her shoes and laying down on the couch she buried her head into the cushions and screamed. She had been so passionate about her fashion design career, everyone had told her how cute and lovable her designs were how she was destined to make her mark in the field, even HE had loved her work.

She had done everything to pursue her goal: put in the effort, talked with the right people, came up with hundreds of designs. Compared to her life's calling college just seemed to take a back seat to it all and so she dropped out with only a year before completion to "make it big" in the city, but now she was desperate.

She had run out of designs to show people, hell the kitten unicorn dress was just a last ditch attempt to show the interviewer that she could do something right. But with the money she had saved from not going to that last year of college slowly dwindling away and no more design ideas floating around in her head the situation was growing dire.

She could always go back to college and finish her degree (whatever it was) but the lack of money prevented her from doing that. Again, she could always ask her parents for a loan but that was out of the question as well, the thought of confronting them after all this time was too much for her to bare.

What she really need more than anything was to get away from it all to go back to some place familiar to be held by someone anyone, NO. Not just anyone, she needed to be held by HIM again, the one person who never doubted her, the one person with whom she could be herself and not face judgment, he was her safe place the new sweater town and she just needed to hear his voice. Picking up her phone she sent out a tentative text still needing sometime before she talked with him face to face: Hey Dipper got a minute? I wanna talk.

~000~

It was nearly eleven o'clock now, two hours twenty minutes and three seconds since receiving the text message and Dipper had yet to respond.

He was currently pacing a hole in the floor of his soon to be vacated apartment, the phone still clutched in his trembling, sweat slicked hands. He thought it was over, that he had put that part of his life behind him but it just kept coming back in dreams that he hated himself for enjoying, in the passing reminders of idle conversation, and now this. Still Mabel was his sister; they had been very close as kids but drifted apart after the incident, now it had been years since they had seen each other. Maybe enough time had passed to fix what had been broken.

Opening his freezer for a shot of grey goose to bolster his confidence his eyes came to rest upon a framed photo that his gruncle had left for him in the wake of the graduation party. In it Stan, Soos, Wendy, Mabel, and himself were standing in front of the Mystery Shack smiling in that big almost disingenuous way. Grinning at the photo, Dipper downed his shot and grimaced at the awful taste as it burned his throat and set his innards ablaze.

How did that saying go? Seize the day or something? It would be better to face his problems rather than let them haunt him any longer come what may and screw the consequences.

Grabbing a glass of water to wash away the taste of the vodka he picked up his phone and dialed his sister. One ring (maybe this is what I've been looking for), two rings (Maybe this was a huge mistake), three rings (maybe I dialed the wrong number and should hang up now), four rings….

"Hello?"

"Hey there Mabel it's me. You… um, you said you wanted to talk?"

"YES! I mean yeah you know its been like forever since we've talked and junk."

"So how have things been going? I missed you at the grad party."

"Yeah sorry I couldn't be there. Look I just need to talk to you about that day in Gravity Falls and what came after, I…I need to do it face to face."

Dipper's eye gleamed the picture once again. Hell, if he was going to face his issues head on he may as well go all in and deal with things in the place where they all started, catharsis thy name is simplicity itself. "Alright, how about the Shack? I'm sure I can get Stan to lend us the place for the weekend."

A long pause followed that made Dipper wonder if Mabel was even still there. "Yeah that sounds alright Dipper. I'll see you there.

~000~

Gravity Falls a town that time had forgotten. The sleepy-eyed borough still sported the same rickety shops and crusty people, if anything time had made them crustier.

Dipper smiled to himself as he cruised down Main Street in his blue pickup waiving to familiar faces, Gravity Falls hadn't lost its small town charm and in an ever changing world some familiarity was nice, a safe haven of sorts.

Though he was glad to be back in his favorite town he was still unsure if this was a good idea. As he passed what he was thought might have been a 25 year old Wendy Corduroy working at Lazy Susan's grease trap of a restaurant his mind drifted back to that fateful day so many years ago.

It was the day that he and Mabel had done something so wrong, something completely unforgivable, something that still haunted him to this day.

He had gone out on a monster hunt to clear his head that day. He had been having strange and disturbing thoughts lately, the sort he normally reserved for Wendy were slowly turning towards someone else, a person he had known his whole life, someone who always found the best of every situation. Maybe it was puberty being extra cruel but then again it just as easily be destiny. Still, he was terrified what Mabel might think if she realized that she was now the object of his affection.

He had only come to terms with it just days before and he could hardly look himself in the mirror, it was all just too weird, too strange even for him.

Mabel had been following him that day and had hid in the foliage to surprise her brother, maybe even give him a heart attack if she could, when she did, however, Dipper was not quite as scared as she had hoped and they continued their hunt in silence.

Time passed and they came upon a den of bears, hardly mythical and very territorial. The twins ran for their lives and just when it seemed Mabel might become bear food Dipper rushed in and took the brunt of the attack leaving the siblings to hobble home with Dipper leaning most of his weight on his sister.

Back at the Mystery Shack, in the attic, Mabel had begun to patch Dipper up while ignoring her own injuries.

As she feverishly applied too much disinfectant and copious amounts of Band-Aids to every cut and bruised inch of his body he couldn't help but admire her chocolate curls that hid her beautiful tear streaked face.

Those feeling he had been trying to repress now boiled inside him as he laid a reassuring hand on her head to calm her down. He felt a shiver beneath his touch as she looked up and somewhere behind those brown eyes staring into a face that was so much his own he knew his unnatural feelings were reciprocated one million percent. It was too fast for him to even catch, there was a glint of silver and their lips met, neither pulled away immediately but rather stayed there transfixed by the moment.

Moments later they admitted their feelings for one another and shared another kiss, deeper with more passion before being interrupted by their gruncle's shouts from downstairs about people trekking mud into the house.

That was the day the twins had admitted their love for one another and what followed was two years of making out, secret hand holding, and the eventual loss of innocents before the crushing realization that they were indeed freaks and the world simply wouldn't have it.

Now Dipper was back in the place where it had all started to confront Mabel and declare that once and for all he no longer had any feelings for her so that he may go on to live a normal life, he just hoped that Mabel was here to do the same.

Pulling up to the Mystery Shack Dipper got out of his car and immediately took in a deep breath of the crisp, pine scented air he had been missing while at college, some things just couldn't be replaced.

Looking around he saw Mabel had already parked her car in one of the spaces normally reserved for tourists.

From a distance it looked the same as ever but up close there were definite signs of neglect and though he couldn't put a finger on why, the car seemed more than neglected, it was worn out like it hadn't been serviced in ages. He hadn't been in contact with Mabel for years, he had heard from his bereaved mother that Mabel had quit college for a fashion career or something but beyond that he had no idea what she was up to. He hoped she was still doing alright.

Without another thought he trudged inside the Mystery Shack. Since it was Fall and the end of the tourist season Stan had lent the Shack to the twins for a couple of days (for a price of course).

Inside, the shack had not aged as gracefully as it could have. The floors were caked with grime and some of the exhibits were either torn or missing patches of fur, a sure sign of years of customer abuse. On the bright side Stan could always refurbish the shack and call it the world's biggest collection of dust and cobwebs, people might still pay to see that.

Before Dipper could call out to his sister a tentative "Dipper, I'm in the den" alerted him to where Mabel had hidden herself away.

Their meeting was uncomfortable and plagued by awkward pauses, after all what was the protocol for meeting your forbidden lover after years of being absent from each other's life?

However, once the initial pleasantries and obvious questions like "sooo…. what have you been up to?" were out of the way the mood lightened considerably. The strangeness of the situation gave way to playful banter about life, hated roommates, and the like. It wasn't so odd, after all, before becoming illicit lovers the twins had been each other's best friend.

As the day faded to night, the twins stole an expensive bottle of Giacomo Conterno's Barolo Monfortino from Stan's private stash thinking nothing of it, so lost were they in their nostalgic bliss. Besides, if Stan had the gall to charge his grand niece and nephew room and board at his closed down business he could definitely spring for a little inebriated pleasure.

It was around her third glass that Mabel finally asked the question they had both come here to answer

"Dipper, do you regret it? Any of it?"

Dipper looked away for a moment contemplating playing dumb to forestall the moment a little longer in the end he knew this was something he would have to deal with.

"Yes, I do. I mean part of me doesn't but every other part of me is screaming at how wrong it all was, from that first kiss to that night in bed together. Mabel, I stopped talking to you and broke it off because it just wasn't right and it wasn't fair for either of us to continue on like that, ya know."

Mabel just looked at her brother, tears welling up in her eyes as her heart shattered for the second time in as many days, clearly this was not the answer she was looking for. The sort of hurt she wore on her face was like nothing Dipper had ever seen _Oh, no what have I done now_?

Comforting his sister as best he could, Dipper hugged her close. The warmth of his embrace touched her in places that had been dead for so long, she had to get him to admit his love for her there was no questioning that in her mind.

Pulling back for a split second, Mabel went in for a kiss. At first there was nothing, like Dipper was trying to resist the urges of his body, but slowly it was returned and then deepened. Before he lost himself any further to this moment, Dipper pulled back shock and admonition etched into his features. Not even looking Mabel in the eyes he rushed out of the room and back to his car.

Flinging the car door open Dipper hurled himself inside and brought the engine to a roar before peeling out into the night and leaving the old shack in a cloud of dust.

_This wasn't supposed to happen, it wasn't supposed to go like that! This is so messed up!_ His thoughts on rapid fire as he speed down the deserted road. _This wasn't how it was supposed to be, I was just going to go back to the house, confront Mabel and leave the past in the past. I wasn't supposed to start anything with Mabel again. I can't do it, not again. I won't do…DEER! _

He had been so distracted that he barely had time to react to the deer that had ran out in front of his car. Swerving into the other lane, Dipper avoided a collision with the petrified animal by mere centimeters. Over correcting he swerved back into his lane, fishtailed and slid into a ditch. The last thing he saw was the darkness of the night interrupted by a rapidly approaching tree trunk.

The whole scene had happened so fast, first Mabel was enjoying the warm caress of her twin as he tried to calm her down, she kissed him in an attempt to remind his of what they once had, and then he was gone. It had all gone down lightning quick, leaving Mabel stupefied in her chair.

Maybe this was all just another mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have forced this on Dipper, he really didn't want this.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!"

Minutes became hours as the thoughts swirled in her head threating to burst it wide open. She almost didn't hear the phone ringing and had to scramble to get it in time.

Before she could even utter a word the caller beat her to it.

"Um, hello? Mr. Pines?" (It was the quivering voice of sheriff Durland, Blubs had quit a year ago after his third heart-attack).

Before the voice could continue, Mabel interrupted. "Hey, sorry officer but Stan isn't here right now. It's just me Mable, his grandniece."

Durland stopped, then stuttered again "Oh, oh man, this isn't going to be easy. Um, alright listen up. We found a blue pick-up on the side of the road earlier this morning that had swerved off the road and into a tree. Um, let's see here (was he reading off of a report? Oh well, at least he had learned to read) okay, here it is *ahem* the victim was pulled from the vehicle and paramedics attempted resuscitation (Mabel was getting a cold tingle running down the back of her neck, she knew who it was) unfortunately it says here that all attempts were in vain and they could not revive the victim. I'm afraid that victim was your brother, Dipper Pines, and I'd just like to say how sorry I…." Durland kept on talking but Mabel had stopped listening a while ago. She just let the phone slide from her hand and crash into the floor.

~000~

The sky was blood red as the sun slowly crept past the horizon, signaling that it was officially morning. A cool, autumnal breeze blew past Mable's face and sent her hair fluttering as she stared out into abyss with unseeing eyes, loons wailed in the distance somewhere on the lake.

On any other morning for anyone with a normal life, the view would have been breathtaking. This thought occurred to her as she stood on the Mystery Shack's roof at Wendy's old secret hang out spot.

It had been all her fault, her love had killed Dipper. If only she had stayed away, if only she hadn't tried to force it on him then maybe he wouldn't have been speeding down that road, careening into a ditch. She had murdered her own brother with her love.

Still, it was more than that, she had no life to speak of. She had quit college and couldn't go back, her chosen career path had ended in failure, and the debt was piling up. Dipper was the only thing that had held her together and maybe that is why she had arranged this whole stupid get together, because she needed to be reminded of the reason why she should wake up in the morning. But now he was gone and nothing on this earth would bring him back.

Testing the weight of the world, the strength of gravity, Mabel dangled one foot over the edge

"I'm so sorry for what I've done Dipper but I can't take it back."

Tears cascaded down her face. "Don't worry though, I'm going to be with you soon, I'm….I'm coming home.

And then gravity took her.

* * *

Well…that takes care of the obligatory pinecest story that each GF writer must do. Hopefully you guys liked it, I know it was fun to write. Anyways, reviews are the life blood that pumps through my veins and pushes me forward soooo mas por favor. See you guys later.


	4. Secrets

So yeah, in honor of the 1st week of GF shorts and because it's October I give to you a short pseudo horror/songfic (song is Secret by The Pierces). Hope you enjoy and please don't forget to review. Happy Halloween!

* * *

*Thud*

Dipper sat bolt upright his eyes needing a few minutes to adjust to the darkened attic room. Groggy and trying to shake himself awake he immediately noticed two things: one, the alarm clock was flashing 12:00 A.M. and two, Mabel was not in her bed.

_Huh, the power must be out_.

Feeling his way to the wall Dipper stumbled over books, balls of yarn, and other things scattered over the bedroom floor Dipper tripped over himself and stubbed his toe against the wall. Now fully awake he silently cursed himself for his clumsiness.

Flicking the light switch confirmed what he already knew: the Mystery Shack had no power.

*Thud*

A loud noise from somewhere within the depths of the shack made him jump.

"Mabel? Gruncle Stan?" no response. Time to go investigate.

Stepping out of his room he noticed that the air in the Mystery Shack had taken on a stale flavor as if the tourist trap had been abandoned for years.

Something wasn't right, there was almost complete silence where the snoring of Gruncle Stan should have been. Suddenly it hit him, music so faint he couldn't tell if he was hearing it or his imagination was playing tricks on him. A violin playing on a gramophone maybe, but no that wasn't quite it. Whatever it was he was sure the eerie music had something to do with the noises that woke him up.

Following the music Dipper made his way downstairs and through the living room into the Mystery Shack gift shop. Though the room was filled with various oddities the strangest thing by far was the vending machine. It had been moved aside revealing a hidden stair case alight with an unearthly glow (If the power was out how could there have been any light?).

The music seemed to be emanating from somewhere below and so Dipper descended the stairs. At the end he found himself in a dusty room with an elevator that apparently went down three floors. The elevator itself seemed to be stopped at floor two.

Calling the elevator and then riding it down Dipper noticed that the music he had earlier was becoming clearer and clearer. It wasn't a violin on a gramophone. No, it was nothing like that at all. Now what he heard was more akin to mildly distorted carnival music, the very sort that dredged up haunting images of killer clowns, inebriated laughter, and the like.

When the shoebox of an elevator reached its destination and the doors opened with some difficulty Dipper couldn't help but gag at the sight as the smell hit his nostrils, an acrid stink of something long since dead and well past rotting.

There his missing sibling stood in what was probably once a rather nice office now caked in blood with a large garbage pail in one corner a gramophone played the haunting melody from somewhere just behind his sister. Mabel just stared at her brother with a wicked grin and insane eyes, the sort that are stretched too far and can only be maintained by the energies of pure fright or pure lunacy.

Clutching what appeared to be a large carving knife in her right hand Mabel spoke in a voice not quite her own

"Hehe…Hheeeyyy there Dip. How's my favorite dipping sauce doing, huh? Haha, Ursa minor, that's ssssoooo you. So sorry you had to stumble onto my little mess, it was supposed to be a secret" She accented the last part by rolling her eyes.

"Anyways, long story short, Bill found me in my dreams and he told me lots of things… lots and lots of neat. Little. Things." Each word now punctuated with a harsh bark as her eyes stretched beyond the limits of the impossible and even seemed to glow a little in the dim light.

"One thing he told me was how to make Stan happy and help his business by AXING the competition, so I had arranged a chat with Gideon and made him go away…. forever." She made a little gesture toward the full garbage pail that in any other scenario would seem endearing but now accentuated her creepy demeanor even more so. The pail's surface once silver and smooth now lay stained a dark shade of red with patched of white hair and flesh.

"Unfortunately, Stan wasn't too pleased with me when he found out what Bill and I had done and so now he is resting peacefully right beside his worst enemy. It wasn't easy fitting to people in there you know. But I know you oh brother of mine; you wouldn't dare tell a soul about what you've seen here now would you? It will be our little secret."

Whoever his sister was before now it certainly wasn't this serial killer that stood before him. Dipper wanted to scream, wanted to run, but fear rooted him to the spot. The music in the background hit a high note and picked up tempo.

Almost on queue Mable began to sing along to the horrible tune. _"Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it in your pocket taking this one to the grave."_ Her grin widened, the picturesque model of any old cartoon character locked up in the loony bin.

_"If I show you then I know you won't tell what I've said because two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."_

The last line of his sister's twisted tune sent a cold spike of fear through his very being and it was at that instant the Dipper knew he was a rabbit in a tiger cage and would be dead meat if he didn't act fast.

"O-okay Mabel y-your right, Stan should have been more appreciative of your hard work but it is late now so I'm just going to head up stairs and definitely NOT tell the cops about our little secret here, okay?"

Each stammer meant another step back towards the safety of the elevator as Mabel advanced matching Dipper's pace.

_"Now you're telling lies cause you're the one to keep it. But no one keeps a secret! No one keeps a secret! Cause everybody tells. Everybody tells!"_ Flecks of crimson congealed and fell off the slick blade as Mabel readied her weapon.

_"You swore you'd never tell… you swore you'd never tell."_

Dipper's back hit something solid. He was back in the elevator again but a lot of good that did him as seconds later unstable Mabel entered as well. Preparing for the inevitable he closed his eyes and felt the blade enter just under his heart, there was more shock than there was pain and he knew he would bleed out in a matter of seconds. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the monster his sister had become.

Opening his eyes one last time he caught a glimpse of yellow triangles reflected in the pupils of Mabel's eyes, her face practically pressed against his.

_"Look into my eyes now you're getting sleepy. Are you hypnotized by secrets that you're keeping? I know what you're keeping… I know what you're keeping." _

The light fading from his vision, Dipper slumped over in the elevator looking up in horror at what the dream demon had done to this once sweat, loving girl.

_"Yes, two can keep a secret if one of us is dead." _


End file.
